Live News vs Responsive
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Responsive leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #154, ahead of Live News at #5,112. Over the last 7 days Responsive slipped 4 places and Live News slipped 35 places. Responsive has the largest install base, roughly 100× the next: 10K+ active installs against 100+ for Live News. Downloads this week: Responsive 8,953 and Live News 9.
| Metric | Live News | Responsive |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #5,112 ▼ 35 | #154 ▼ 4 |
| Active installs | 100+ | 10K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 9 | 8,953 |
| Rating | no ratings | 4.7★ (559) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Jan 21, 2026 | Oct 22, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.1.0 | 6.4.9 |
| Best rank on record | #4,790 | #148 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jun 2021 | Mar 2012 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
More comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Live News or Responsive?
By active installs, Responsive: 10K+ sites run it against 100+ for Live News, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 30, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Live News or Responsive?
Responsive, at #154 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Live News at #5,112. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Live News a block theme or a classic theme? And Responsive?
Live News is a classic theme, Responsive is a classic theme. Block themes are built for the Site Editor; classic themes use the Customizer and widget areas.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each theme’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the themes have moved over time rather than a single day.